Book Review: Gentle and Lowly - The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers, by Dane Ortland

Dane Ortland, senior pastor at Naperville Presbyterian Church in Illinois and a Wheaton PhD, lays out his case that most of us, Christians and non-believers, do not understand or appreciate the heart of Jesus. He goes through a large number of scriptures, both Old and New Testament, to give the Biblical basis for his statement that the heart of God is gentle, compassionate, humble, and eager to forgive. He starts with Matthew 11:28-30, from which comes the book’s title. 

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

There are typically human reactions against this perspective on God’s heart. When we think of the plagues on Egypt, the final judgment, or the problem of pain, we have a hard time reconciling this with the picture of Jesus’ heart being forgiving and gracious to us. In the last few chapters he deals with these problems. To cut to the chase, when we come to Jesus asking for forgiveness and restoration, He is overjoyed to do so. But those who do not come to Him will face the consequences of their actions and decisions. Jesus is reluctant to do so, but His holiness compels Him to protect the innocent by judging and justly dealing with those who choose evil.

We tend to think of God as harsh and judgmental when we suffer, but as soft and forgiving when others get away with things, especially if the things they get away with impact us negatively. It seems so unfair that we question God’s fairness. This type of situation was only briefly discussed in the book, it was not in the focus. Another area not discussed is God’s disciplining of His children. (Hebrews 12:1-11) Often, when we are in this situation, we question God’s gentleness and doubt that He has a forgiving heart. The perspective that Ortland gives is to compare this to physical therapy - painful for the moment but necessary for health.

This is not to doubt the essential value of this book. It is written to explain that even when circumstances don’t seem to reflect loving and gentle care for us, that is what God’s essence is. (1 John 4:8) And the case is solid. There are doubtless dimensions of God that we cannot fathom, but at least this one we can comprehend.